Bondi And Other Attorneys General Call On Urban Outfitters To Stop Prescription-like Products

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is working with nearly half the states in the nation to put an end to a product line of Urban Outfitters that Bondi says contradicts efforts to combat prescription drug abuse.

In a letter to the company, Bondi says she along with 22 other attorneys General are calling on Urban Outfitters to stop selling products, like glasses, mugs, and drink holders, that mimic prescription pill bottles and prescription pads.

“Urban Outfitters, they’re a great store. And, they sell great clothes, jewelry to our teens and college age kids. We just find it in very poor taste when they’re selling shot glasses that are in the form of a prescription bottle, and it says ‘take one by mouth.’ And, then it says ‘quantity, take as many as you can stomach.’ We’re losing seven Floridians a day due to prescription drug abuse, and we, in no way, want to make light of this matter," Bondi told WFSU.

"So, that’s what we’re asking them to do, just become good corporate partners and pull this stuff off the shelf. We’re asking them to forgo a few sales to help us save a lot of lives.”

Bondi says she believes the company “will do the right thing” and take the product off its shelves. But, she says if that doesn’t happen, her next step is personally speaking to a company representative. Urban Outfitters has not yet responded to a request for comment.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on twitter@SaschaCordner.

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The overall number of drug-related deaths in Florida is on the rise. Meanwhile, the state is seeing a drop in the number of prescription drug related deaths. Attorney General Pam Bondi says the decrease is the result of a two-year effort by the state to crack down on pill mills. And, the effort also grew with the help of pill mill legislation in 2011.

It’s been called the “pill mill capital of the nation,” but Florida’s reputation could soon go away thanks to the state’s effort to crack down on the illegal sale of prescription drugs. As Sascha Cordner reports, several state officials say while they’ve been successful so far, there’s more to be done.

WFSU is Public Media, PBS, and NPR for Northern Florida and Southern Georgia